§ Mr. Campbell-Savoursasked the Secretary of State for Industry whether, in the light of his decision to allocate £22 million under section 8 of the Industry Act 1972 for reconstruction, he will convene a meeting with the independent steel producers with a view to requiring them to produce a sectoral plan for the reconstruction of the private sector in return for any financial assistance allocated, analogous to the corporate plan required from the British Steel Corporation.
§ Mr. WakehamWe shall not require a sectoral plan from the industry. Assistance is, however, selective and 199W I shall, of course, have regard, when considering applications, to the interests of the industry as a whole. Assistance will only be offered to undertakings or groups of undertakings which implement a restructuring programme and reduce capacity.
§ Mr. Campbell-Savoursasked the Secretary of State for Industry if, when he lays before Parliament any order in connection with the granting of £22 million to the independent steel producers, he will also lay before Parliament a memorandum setting out in detail information required by him from those producers, whether or not this is in the form of a sectoral plan.
§ Mr. WakehamNo order is required to be laid, but we shall arrange for copies of the detailed notes for applicants for assistance under the scheme to be placed in the Library when they are published shortly.